factors influencing method choice

• practical factors

  • access to the participants
  • type of data required
  • personal characteristics of the researcher
  • time available
  • subject matter
  • cost/funding
  • size of the sample
  • research opportunity
• practical factors - access to the ppts

  • the ability to gain access to the group you wish to study will determine which type of method you can use
  • e.g. if your ppts are working-class parents they may not have the time to complete interviews but could do a questionnaire
• practical factors - type of data required

  • different methods will provide either qualitative or quantitative data
  • so the type of data required will influence the method used
• practical factors - time available

  • different methods require different amounts of time to complete and this may influence a researcher's choice and they may have a deadline to meet
  • e.g. unstructured interviews and observations can take a lot more time to complete than a web-based questionnaire
• practical factors - personal characteristics of the researcher

  • the personal characteristics of the researcher will influence their choice of method as different researchers will have different skill sets making some methods easier to use than others
  • e.g. a researcher would need good communication skills to use an interview and good memory when using an observation
• practical factors - cost/funding

  • research funding can influence the research method used not just due to the requirements of the funding body
  • but also the amount it could cost as the researcher will need to stay within budget
• practical factors - subject matter

  • the subject you are studying may lend itself more to one research method than another
  • e.g. it may be difficult for male researchers to interview victims of domestic violence and questionnaires may not be appropriate for ppts who have English as L2
• practical factors - research opportunity

  • there are times when a research opportunity can occur suddenly meaning that the research will not have the time to prepare structured interviews or questionnaires
• practical factors - size of the sample

  • the sample size can influence the choice of methods
  • if you have access to a large sample interviews would take too long to complete
  • small sample - a in-depth interview might be required to get enough information
• ethical and moral factors

  • informed consent
  • confidentiality
  • privacy
  • harm
  • legality
  • covert research and consent
• ethical and moral factors - informed consent

  • all ppts have to give informed consent
  • this would mean the sociologist would have to explain to ppts what the research was about, what taking part would involve and how the data will be used
• ethical and moral factors - confidentiality

  • any and all identifying features about the ppts should not be released to the public or published in the report on the study
• ethical and moral factors - privacy

  • the researcher should not ask or involve themselves in the private lives of their ppts which do not pertain to the research they are conducting
• ethical and moral factors - harm

  • the ppts and researcher should not be put in any harms way during the research - physical, psychological or emotional
• ethical and moral factors - legality

  • the researcher cannot break the law during their research or take part in illegal activities
• ethical and moral factors - covert research and consent

  • when conducting covert research it may be necessary for the researcher to gain informed consent after the data has been collected - they can also gain pre-emptive consent from a similar group
• pre-emptive consent

  • speaking to a similar group to your sample to see if they would give consent to the researcher and if so the researcher can assume the sample will as well
• deception

  deliberately lying to the ppts about other purpose of the research or how the data will be used - sometimes be necessary if the nature of the research could leas to research effects and invalidate the data